Are mobile devices the new comforter?

Are mobile devices the new comforter?

Now I know that out there in the blogesphere there are hundreds of reports, reviews, research papers and general mumblings about how mobile devices are the biggest thing since sliced bread and that probably there are more mobile devices in the world now than there are human beings.

We also know that as mobile devices develop different uses are being found for them. From young children who use them to learn to count and do Math to the elderly who use them as reminders of what time to take their medication and keep in contact with family members thousands of miles away so we can’t argue that they aren’t an asset to humanity but are we taking ownership to seriously?

It’s stated that some 90% of the world’s population has a mobile phone (Wikipedia) and of that 30% said that their mobile device is the first and the last thing they look at in the day! No wonder my wife continuously nags that I should divorce her and marry my phone. (www.statisticbrain.com/mobile-device-cell-phone-statistics).

But why is this happening, why is it that every time we wake up we are becoming desperate to see whose tweeted what or before bed we have to have a quick search of eBay for a rare Chewbacca toy? My opinion, it’s because of comfort. Not comfort as in its easy but comfort as in the mobile device has become a comforter to the human being who often needs reassurance, a little security and control over the world around them.

Only last week a study appeared on the BBC News Website about how Facebook use ‘makes people feel worse about themselves’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23709009). OK the study doesn’t refer to how people accessed Facebook but it’s probably safe to say that a majority of people now check Facebook via their mobile device. Why do people check Facebook to see what others are doing? What do others in the majority always post on Facebook, good/show off news? However, you probably check it regularly enough in the hope that you’ll see one bit of news that adds comfort to your own dreary life and you become jubilant that your ex has crashed their car; and who gets the love for giving you that great news, your mobile device.

So how can we spot those people who are seeking comfort in their mobile device/s?

5 easy signs that someone is seeking comfort in their mobile device

1) Ask a person how they wake up in the morning? Answer – my mobile phone alarm wakes me sweetly each morning with the sound of harp music. I’m pretty sure sales of alarm clocks have probably plummeted since the advent of the mobile device.

2) When you ask to see a photo of their family or recent holiday instead of a folded pic from their wallet/purse or a stack of glossy photos straight from the chemist you now get the much loved cracked screen iPhone shoved in your face and the command ‘just scroll left’ to which you reply ‘I hope there are no dirty ones?!’ as you struggle to make out the Eiffel Tower through smudged finger prints.

3) The person who is constantly turning up late or missing meetings/appointments. Their excuse ‘my phone/tablet didn’t sync with my calendar. I’m so sorry must have been a software update I missed’. Again pretty sure the sale of diaries has probably plummeted since mobile devices muscled in.

4) The 1% battery panic rush. You’ve seen them, they run around the office asking everyone if they have a charger or USB lead for the PC they can borrow and inevitably will Tweet about it so everyone knows that should they drop of the edge of the world any second it’s because of 1% battery.

5) Finally and by all means not least as I know this list is not exhaustive but for blog reasons we keep it short. The ‘Where is it’ dance. That moment where your sat quietly at a café when suddenly the person on the next table jumps up, pats down every pocket, checks their coat, tips out their bag and then sighs as they realise their mobile phone was under the newspaper they were just reading.

So what other signs have you noticed that mobile phones are now the comforter of the 21st century? Can you live without your mobile phone or tablet or are you guilty of one of the five signs above and accept they bring comfort to your life… I know I’d struggle.

Andrew Coulson is an experienced community engagement professional.
He is currently Team Leader for Community Engagement projects at the South Australian Government Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.